You Weren't Supposed To Hear That
My boss said it casually while I was under the table.
It was not funny. I was not hiding. My earring fell. I work as a receptionist in a small logistics company in Onitsha. We are only five staff. That afternoon, my small gold earring fell under my desk. I bent down to look for it, and my boss and the accountant entered reception. They thought I had gone out to buy lunch like others.
My boss laughed and said, "Don't worry, she will not be here by next month. I have already told Oga to bring his niece. This one is too dull and too fine, she is distracting customers."
The accountant laughed too. "But she is trying na. She comes early."
My boss said, "Trying ke? She has been here 8 months and she still does not know how to use the inventory app. I am tired of teaching her. Let her go. I will just give her one query letter and she will resign herself."
I was still under the table. My hand was shaking. I wanted to come out and say "I can hear you." But I did not.......I stayed there, holding my breath, listening to them plan my sack like I was not a human being.
That phrase, "You weren't supposed to hear that," kept ringing in my head, even though they did not say it........ But that was what it was. I was not supposed to hear my future being decided under a table.
When they left, I came out slowly. I picked my earring and sat on my chair. I looked at the inventory app on the computer. It is true, I was struggling with it. Nobody taught me well. They just said "press here, press here" and left me. I was always scared to ask questions because they would hiss.
That day I did not cry. I just started learning. I went to YouTube that night and watched tutorials on logistics software. I downloaded the app manual and read it till 2am. For one week, I came to work by 7am before anyone, and I practiced. I made notes. I even created my own small method to check stock faster.
The next week, something happened. A big customer came and his order was missing. Everyone was confused. My boss was sweating and calling the warehouse. I quietly checked the system using what I had learned, and I found the problem. The order was logged under a wrong name. I printed it and gave it to the customer.
The customer said, "This your receptionist is sharp o."
My boss looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time. He did not thank me, but he kept quiet.
Two weeks later, he called me into his office. I thought, this is it, the query letter. My heart was beating. He said, "I noticed you have improved. How did you learn the app so fast?"
I wanted to say, "Because I heard you say I was too dull." But I smiled and said, "I just decided to study more, sir."
He nodded and said, "Good. Keep it up. Actually we wanted to increase your salary next month."
I almost laughed. Increase? The same job you wanted to give to Oga's niece?
I did not expose that I heard them. I just continued working. But inside me, everything changed. I realized people will talk about you when you are not there. Some will even decide your life. But if you hear it, don't fight. Use it.
I still work there. Now I am the one training new staff on the inventory app. And sometimes when I see someone bending under a table to pick something, I remember that afternoon I was under the table and heard my own sack letter being discussed.
You weren't supposed to hear that, but sometimes hearing it saves you.
image source AI